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Hotel sued for alleged discrimination
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Posted on Dec 24 1998
Joaquin T. Quitugua filed a discriminatory lawsuit against Saipan Hafadai Beach Hotel in federal court seeking punitive damages in the amount of $1.5 million and other unspecified damages.
Quitugua is currently employed by Hafadai Beach Hotel as purchasing supervisor although he applied for the position of housekeeping manager.
The housekeeping manager’s position was announced by the hotel back in Aug. 1998 and represented to other prospective applicants and to all other CNMI residents and American citizens that the position is available at the rate of $1,500 to $2,350 per month.
According to the complaint, Quitugua possessed the qualifications and was able to assume the responsibilities and perform all of the duties of a housekeeping manager.
He applied for it but was informed that although he was qualified, he would not be hired because the position was reserved for the re-hiring of a Japanese citizen.
Hafadai Beach Hotel re-hired the Japanese citizen for the position.
Quitugua was hired in Sept. 1, 1997 for the position of purchasing supervisor and received outstanding job performance ratings yet is compensated less than the foreign housekeeping manager in terms of salary, housing, medical coverage and other benefits.
He claimed that the hotel acted towards him based on his race and it retaliated when he asserted his rights as provided under the US and CNMI Constitution.
Quitugua said the hotel also violated CNMI law which required businesses to give CNMI residents preference in employment over non-US citizens.
Quitugua, through lawyer Bruce Jorgensen is seeking an unspecified amount of general and special damages, other costs the court deems just and proper due to emotional distress and trauma he suffered as a result of the hotel’s conduct.
A similar case was filed against another hotel in recent years involving a local and a Japanese national. The local employee lost to a bilateral agreement between the US and Japan on the employment of the latter in US jurisdictions.
